( A simple Maharashtrian breakfast dish made from semolina).

They say- ‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper!’. Breakfast is rightly referred to as ‘the most important meal of the day!’ Indian cuisine has so many healthy breakfast options. Today I am going to share one such simple Maharashtrian breakfast recipe, that is made in almost every Marathi household.

Sanja is quite similar to ‘upma’ as both recipes use semolina as their main ingredient. However, Sanja tastes a little different due to the use of buttermilk. Let us find out what ingredients makes this lovely dish.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups Semolina (sooji/rawa)

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

• 1/4 tsp asafoetida ( hing)

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

• 1 green chili finely chopped

• 1 onion

• 7-8 curry leaves

• 3 tbsp peanuts

• 2 cups buttermilk

• salt as per taste

• pinch of sugar

• 1 tsp clarified butter (sudh desi ghee) optional

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• Coriander leaves chopped

• 3 tbsp coconut grated

Method

• Dry roast the peanuts on a low flame till they change color. Keep aside.

• Dry roast the sooji on low flame till it becomes golden brown. Keep stirring it occasionally to avoid burning. Keep aside.

• Chop the onion into slightly big pieces.

• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when the oil becomes hot. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida/hing, haldi, and immediately add the chopped onion to the pan. Add salt and mix well.

• After the onion is cooked, add chopped green chili, peanuts, sugar, and curry leaves to the pan. Saute for a minute.

• Add the roasted sooji and saute for 2-3 minutes on medium flame.

• In another pot, bring 1 cup water to boil.

• Add 2 cups of buttermilk (at room temperature), slowly to the sooji mixture, while stirring it continuously. Stirring ensures that lumps are not formed.

• Now add the hot water slowly and keep stirring again. Cover the pan with a lid and let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame.

• Add a dollop of ghee from the top and mix well.

• Squeeze some lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut. You can add some sev on top too!

  SANJA IS READY TO SERVE !!

  SERVE HOT.

Notes -

• Adding ghee on top makes the Sanja tastier. This step is optional. Vegans can choose not to add it.

• The solids to liquids ratio in this recipe is roughly 1:2. So if we use 1.5 cups of semolina, we need 3 cups of liquids (water and buttermilk). Thus, we have used 2 cups buttermilk and 1 cup hot water. The amount can be varied according to your preference.